Like Us: Winter Solstice
by Owl Glow
Summary: It's Audrey's birthday and with Derek missing and Scott ordering her to take a break from the search for the night, she finds a way to celebrate.


Derek had been missing a month as of yesterday and I had barely slept since the pack had discovered the bullets. In the loft. Peter had moved in for the time being so I wasn't alone and he was actually acting like an uncle, bring me up to my room and tucking me in every time I fell asleep searching for leads, even insisting I went to school even though I pointed out that it was a pointless act seeing as I wasn't going to go to college. He literally dragged me to school one day, forcing me into the car and drive me, Peter went so far as to walk me into the school that day.

Scott saw how hard I was searching, he saw the bags under my eyes that wouldn't go away with the few restless hours of sleep I got every few nights. He made me stop, he made me pick a day that I would spend doing anything but search. I told him the 21st of December, the winter solstice, our last day of school before winter break, my birthday, today.

I knew that there was only one way of getting my mind off the search, that there was only one thing I could do. And that was get sloppy drunk. There were two ways I could go about that idea. One, push back my healing so that my metabolism wouldn't burn through the alcohol as soon as it hit my throat. But for me to get drunk enough to forget about Derek for the night, I would lose my mind to the liquor completely and my metabolism and healing would pick up again. Option two is a special type of wolfsbane that suppresses the healing. The more a wolf takes the more the longer they don't heal. Hunters favor this wolfsbane when they need to get information from a wolf.

I was able to use the Argent's spare key to get into their house and consequently their hunters' stash. The wolfsbane I needed was there and it was more than enough to last me all night. It was in a concentrated liquid form so it would be easy to take once I got to where I was going.

With my senses it wasn't hard to find out where a party was and it was even easier finding out the exact address after that. Some kid at Devonford Prep was throwing a Winter Solstice party and with how many kids were going to be there I had no worries of sticking out.

I got to the address of the party around nine and the party was already in full swing with people stumbling around drunk on the front yard. I downed half the bottle of wolfsbane before going in and with my empty stomach I could feel the effects almost immediately.

It was easy to find the drinks, they were just on the counter in the kitchen with multiple stacks of plastic red cups and two kegs next to it. "What're you lookin' for?" Some guy asked coming up behind me and having no problem groping my ass.

I shoved him away from me, "Something to forget the current Hell I am going through."

"You're going to need more than alcohol, sweetheart." He told me. I turned to face him.

"What do you suggest?" I asked.

He held up a baggy of little white pills with a "X" pressed into them. "This is my friend Mandy. She likes making people feel good." He told me, "For a price that is."  
>"How much?" I asked, knowing this was a bad idea."<p>

"Ten bucks a pop."

"You grabbed my ass, you're lucky your hand isn't broken."

"Fine, just because I like you, I'll give you two free."

"How long do they take to work?" I asked holding out my hand. He shook two of the little pills out of the bag into my hand.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"This morning,"

"Not too long then. Take one pill now and then when the effects start to wear off take half of the second one, and when that starts to wear off take the last half. If you need more after that then come and find me. But I will have to charge you. Just so you know, I do take alternate methods of payment."

"I think I'll be good, thanks." I reach behind me and took a random cup off the table. It was filled with some alcoholic mix and cherry syrup. I used it to sallow the first pill and I put the second pill in my pocket for later. Then I grabbed a random bottle and headed for the drunk, high, dancing teens. Over the course of the next half hour I felt the drug kick in and slowly I began to just, not, care. I gradually forgot about all the things that happened to me since I was eight, I forgot that I was virtually alone now and I just let myself be happy.

I danced, I jumped around, I drank. I eventually grew bored of whatever was in the bottle and went to find something else to drink. My mouth was dry and I needed something to wet it.

There were more people in the kitchen then before and the drinks counter was thoroughly raided but there was plenty of water. I took a bottle and went back to dancing in the other room. This time was different though. This time I felt someone else's eyes on my body as I let the techno music control my movements.

I scanned the room around me and found who I was searching for instantly. I didn't recognize him but my drug altered mind liked him immediately. There was just something about his eyes, his blue, blue eyes, his eyes that were bluer than the sky and twice as easy to stare at all day that made me trust him before I even knew his name and just made me want to have his hands on me.

I stopped dancing and walk to him, pulling him into a kiss when I reach him. "Stop staring and come join me." I ordered pulling away.

I dragged him out with me forced him to dance with me.

"I'm Liam," He told me.

"Audrey,"

"Do you go to Devonford? I haven't seen you there before." Liam asked.

I pulled him closer to me, needing to feel his skin on mine. "I go to Beacon Hills."

"How'd yo—" I cut him off with a kiss and dragged him over to the couch, our lips not parting.

"Enough questions," I pushed him down and straddled his lap. "Questions make me remember and I just want to forget."

Liam didn't protest when I kissed him again, he just put his hand on my hips and pulled me closer. The moment was short lived however when the empty color of icy water was dumped over our heads.

"Thought you to might need to cool down," One of the guys holding the cooler teased.

"Dude!" Another guy groaned coming into the room to see the commotion. I pushed myself off of Liam and sat next to him. "You're paying to have my couch fixed."

"I need to dry off," I muttered standing up and finding my way to the bathroom. I forgot to close the door in my inebriated state and just striped myself of my shirt and started wringing it out in the sink. I didn't see Liam again for the rest of the night and I left about an hour later.

When I woke up the next morning I didn't remember much after receiving the pill and the wolfsbane had worn off so I didn't have any residual effects like a hangover. My routine didn't change, I woke up and showered before doing everything I possibly could find my brother. The only lead we had was the bullet shell with the Calavera's crest engraved in it but the hard part was finding were the Calavera's resided and that meant for hours each day I was calling, emailing, texting everyone who knew anything about my world.

I've long since surpassed just those I knew personally, now I've been calling everyone who might have an inkling of where the Calaveras might live past Mexico. I was beginning to think that this pursuit was hopeless and it was killing me inside.


End file.
